


For Better or Worse

by Hexiva



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Fluff, Light Side Sith Inquisitor, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Tython
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-10-17 05:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10587276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hexiva/pseuds/Hexiva
Summary: If Ashara says they need the Jedi Council's permission to marry, then the Sith Inquisitor is determined to get it, even if he has to fly into the heart of Republic space to do so. What could possibly go wrong?





	

_ “Technically, I need the Jedi Council’s permission to marry.” _

_ “Then let’s go to the Jedi Council!” _

“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” Ashara said, as Andronikos stealthily landed their ship on Tython. It had taken them over a week and several thousand credits to get into Republic space, and now that they were there, Ashara was regretting her decision to go along with the Inquisitor’s plan.

“It’s definitely not,” Andronikos interjected. He had been against it from the start.

“They’ll see reason,” Darth Imperius said, certainty in his voice.He was standing at the front of the cockpit, looking out the windows at the Tythonian landscape before them. “I know they will.”

Ashara and Andronikos exchanged a look. 

“If you get us all killed,” Andronikos said, “I’m gonna come back and haunt you.”

“I’ll bind you,” Imperius said.

“Yeah, because that worked out so well for you last time,” Andronikos shot back.

“They won’t kill us,” Ashara said, uncertainly. “Will they?”

“Of course not,” Imperius said. “I would never let them hurt you.” Andronikos gave him a look. “Any of you.”

“You’re not exactly filling me with confidence here,” Andronikos said. 

“Let’s just go and get it over with before I talk myself out of this,” Ashara said, crossing her arms.

“Excellent idea.” Darth Imperius got up and headed for the door. It took Ashara and Andronikos a moment to realize the problem, and then they both darted simultaneously to stop him from walking out of the ship.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Ashara said.

“You’re not going out dressed like that, are you?” Andronikos said.

Imperius looked down at his clothing. He was dressed in ornate black and grey robes decorated with with glowing red lights, and a skull-like metal mask hiding his face. “What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed?” he asked, concern crossing his face behind the mask. “Is it not fancy enough? These are my dress robes.”

“Uh, no, that’s not the problem,” Ashara said.

“You’re going to get shot on sight,” Andronikos said, bluntly. “Or lightsabered, or electrocuted, or whatever it is Jedi do.”

“Oh,” Imperius said, blinking. “What should I wear instead?”

“Something a little less . . . Sith-y,” Ashara said. “Do, uh, do you have anything like that?”

“Sure he does,” Andronikos said. “He’s always collecting clothes. He’s got to have something.”

The three of them went to the cargo hold and inspected the Inquisitor’s wardrobe. Eventually, they settled on an ornate orange-and-gold shirt with a pinkish brocart coat over it, and a matching skirt. Imperius also insisted on a golden circlet which, he said, brought out his blond hair.

“How do I look?” Imperius said, adjusting his circlet. He felt self-conscious without his mask, but he was determined to go through with this plan. For Ashara.

“Like you’re not gonna get shot on sight,” Andronikos said. “You might even live long enough to open your mouth.”

“You look great,” Ashara said, smiling at Imperius warmly.

“If you say so,” Imperius said. He rubbed his cheek as if he could rub away the scars of slave brands there. Then he set his jaw and said, “Well, then. Let’s do this. Andronikos, keep the engines running. Ashara, would you accompany me?” He offered her his arm courteously.

Ashara took it and followed him timidly down the landing ramp, onto the soil of Tython. She took a deep breath of the fresh Tythonian air. “It’s been so long since I’ve been here.”

They had landed south of the Gnarls, in a field next to the river. Around them were trees, some of them grown into weird, spiralling shapes, and beyond that, rocky hills and mountains rose up to the sky. It was mid-day, and the sky was a clear, pale blue.

“It’s a beautiful planet,” Imperius commented, looking around. “ _ Much  _ nicer than Korriban.”

“That’s not saying much,” Ashara pointed out. “Korriban is a desert full of man-eating slugs.”

“There are some nice places on Korriban,” Imperius said, lifting his chin proudly. If pressed to name three, he wouldn't have been able to come up with one.

“You’ll have to show me them sometime,” Ashara said. She was thinking that this would probably be the last time she would see Tython. After this, after the Jedi Council inevitably chased them off, it would be back to Imperial space for the rest of her life. She glanced doubtfully at Imperius.

“It’ll be all right,” Imperius said, putting a hand on her arm. “I’ll make them understand.”

“You won’t  _ hurt  _ them, will you?” Ashara said, and then added, “Even you couldn’t take on the whole Jedi Council at once.”

“It won’t come to that,” Imperius said. He was totally confident in his own ability to talk the Jedi Council around or, failing that, to defeat them all with Ashara at his side. After all, he thought, everything had always turned out his way in the past. 

Since becoming a Sith, anyway. He tried not to think of the time before that. 

Next to him, Ashara was silent. She was thinking about Taris, about how Imperius had confidently invited the Jedi masters to observe his attempt to bind the ghost, only to have her masters turn on him. He had killed her masters easily, but could he really do the same to the likes of Satele Shan? She didn’t  _ want  _ him to kill Master Shan, but she didn’t want him to die, either.

As they drew nearer to the Jedi Temple, Imperius waved a hand over both of them, pulling them into the shadows and hiding them from the eyes of any Jedi that might be out for a walk. They continued on like that. Ashara stuck close to him, partly out of fear of being seen, and partly out of a desire to be close to him. There was a intimacy in invisibility, hidden from everyone but each other . . . and she needed that comfort right now.

Hand in hand, they snuck through the gates of the Jedi Temple. Imperius looked up in awe at the giant floating holocron that was the centerpiece of the main room. 

“We didn’t have anything like that on Korriban,” he whispered. 

“Score one for Jedi architecture?” Ashara whispered back, as they ascended the twin, spiralling ramps up to the Council chamber. 

It was surreal, passing like a ghost through the halls she had been raised in. Imperius pulled her back to the railing to get out of the way of a Padawan hurrying down the stairs, and she tugged him out of the way of a Jedi Knight carrying a pile of broken lightsabers. 

When they reached the Council chamber doors, Imperius hesitated. “Should I knock?” he asked Ashara. “Or just go in?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Ashara said. “Jedi etiquette doesn’t really cover Dark Council members.”

Imperius sighed, and waved again, dispensing with their cloak of shadows. Several Jedi nearby startled at their sudden appearance and stared at them, but they sensed no immediate threat. Ashara supposed they thought Imperius was a Jedi Shadow.

Imperius pushed the doors open and led the way down the expansive hallway to where the Jedi Council was meeting. He glanced up at the statues staring down at him. Their features were kindly, but, somehow, he felt more intimidated by them than by the ever-present statutes of the Emperor on Korriban.

“ - go to Illum next,” they heard a woman say, as they entered the Council meeting room. There were three people in the chamber: Satele Shan, the Master of the Order, a scarred, pale human man whom Ashara recognized as Master Jaric Kaeden, and a Mirialan woman dressed in white whom Ashara didn’t know. It was this last who was speaking now.

“We need to deal with the - ” The Mirialan woman cut off and looked back at Imperius and Ashara, frowning. “Excuse me, but who are you?” she asked.

But Satele Shan was staring at Imperius. “ _ You,”  _ she said. “I recognize you. What are you doing here?!” She put her hand on her lightsaber.

“Who is this person?” the Mirialan woman asked. She was a small woman, clad in simple white and brown robes, with a hood that cast a shadow over her kind blue eyes. She looked about the same age as Ashara and Imperius - shockingly young for a Jedi Master - but there was an aura of calmness and wisdom surrounding her that even Imperius could sense.

“Lord Kallig. Darth Imperius,” Master Shan declared. “The head of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. This man is a Sith Lord!”

The Jedi Masters all immediately ignited their lightsabers at those words, and Ashara put her hand on her own saber, but Imperius merely bowed courteously. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Master Shan. It’s been so long, I’d almost forgotten about that affair on the Black Talon.”

“You boarded one of my ships and killed innumerable Republic crew members - not to mention a Padawan!” Satele Shan snapped.

“I  _ did  _ ask her to surrender,” Imperius pointed out. “I didn’t want to have to fight her.”

“A Sith who doesn’t want to fight,” the Mirialan woman said, musingly. “What an extraordinary thought.”

“I  _ am  _ extraordinary,” Imperius agreed. “But please, sheathe your weapons. I am not here to fight you. I am here to ask a boon of you.”

The Jedi didn’t put away their lightsabers, but neither did they attack. “What could a Sith possibly want from us?” asked Master Kaeden guardedly.

“I wish to ask your permission to marry the Jedi Ashara Zavros,” Imperius said calmly.

For a moment, the Jedi Masters were struck dumb. Shan was the first to recover. Looking Ashara in the eyes, she said, “This Order no longer recognizes Ashara Zavros as one of our own. She has fallen to the dark side.”

Ashara’s hands formed into fists and her face scrunched up. “But I  _ haven’t!”  _ she cried. “I’ve held fast to the light, even if I’ve - I’ve questioned the Jedi teachings! I'm not a Sith.”

“ _ She  _ still recognizes your order,” Imperius said, crossing his arms and looking down his nose at the Jedi Masters. Despite the fact that he had come here in secret to seek their blessing, he managed to make it sound as if  _ they _ had disappointed him. “Will you not return the favor?”

“Ashara,” Master Kaeden said, “do you wish to re-join the Jedi Order? Is this what this is about? Why have you brought a Sith Lord to our doorstep?”

“And if she did wish to go,” the Mirialan said, looking at Imperius, “Would you let her?”

Imperius looked stricken by this question, and looked to Ashara. “Of course I would,” he said. “I would miss her every day, but she is not my prisoner. She is free to go where she wants.” 

“But I  _ don’t  _ want to leave him, Master Shan,” Ashara exclaimed. “I love him.”

The Mirialan turned to her fellow Jedi and nodded. “She speaks the truth,” she said. “I can feel their love for each other.”

“Jedi are not forbidden from loving,” Kaeden said, frowning. “But this man is a Sith Lord. Do you have any idea of the things he has done to get where he is?”

Ashara lifted her chin. “Yes,” she said. “I even helped him with some of them.”

Kaeden’s frown deepened into a scowl. “And yet you still call yourself a follower of the light?” he demanded. “You delude yourself.”

Ashara fell silent. All of the certainty and wise words which she had used to sway the rogue Jedi faction seemed to dry up on her tongue the moment Kaeden looked at her.

“I have heard of this Darth Imperius,” the Mirialan woman said. “He is no ordinary Sith. On Nar Shadaa, they call him the Great Healer. On Voss, he preached tolerance between the native peoples. He has spared the life of many a Jedi.”

“Don’t say that too loudly,” Imperius said, frowning, “People might start to get the wrong idea about me.” He couldn't let the Empire realize that he used the light side; he'd be killed.

“You sound as if you’ve studied this Darth Imperius, Barsen’thor,” Kaeden said to the Mirialan woman.

“In a way. Sometimes it seems as if our lives have taken parallel paths: from Taris, to Nar Shadaa, to Tatooine, chasing relics of a forgotten age. Some have been quick to compare the two of us.”

Imperius bowed. “I would be flattered to be compared to you,” he said.

“I’m afraid they didn’t mean it as a compliment,” the Mirialan said.

“What a pity.”

“Just because he doesn’t murder with impunity doesn’t make him not a Sith,” Kaeden said. “If it did, he’d be here to defect - but you’re not, are you?” This last was directed at Imperius.

Imperius hesitated, and glanced at Ashara, as if asking permission. She nodded in return to him; whatever he chose, she would follow him. “No,” he said, eventually. “The Empire is where I was born and raised and, for better or for worse, I love it. I do not want to strike down the Empire; I want to reshape it in my image.”

“An immense task,” the Mirialan woman observed. “Do you really believe you can do that?”

“Yes,” Imperius said, with certainty. “Not even the Emperor is a match for me!”

The Mirialan seemed faintly amused by this, but her face went serious as she turned to Ashara. “And you? Do you agree with this man’s plans?”

“Yes,” Ashara said, squaring her shoulders.“I believe that peace will only come when the Empire and the Republic can reach a true understanding, not just a truce. As a Jedi and a Sith, Imperius and I can be the vanguard of that understanding.” Imperius nodded approvingly. 

“You’re not seriously thinking of agreeing to this, Barsen’thor?” Master Kaeden asked, incredulously. 

“It is a Jedi’s duty to extend compassion to everyone, not just those who agree with our beliefs,” the Mirialan said. Ashara’s eyes widened. 

“The difference between Jedi and Sith is not just a difference of opinion,” Shan said severely. “You, more than anyone, have seen the destruction the Empire has wrought on the galaxy.”

“And I have done what I can to ameliorate that damage,” Imperius insisted.

“But you still swear allegiance to the system that caused it,” Shan said.

“How can I repair it, if I am not part of it?” Imperius asked.

“Some things,” Kaeden said, “Cannot be repaired. They are broken beyond repair.”

“I must try,” Imperius said, simply.

Ashara took a deep breath. “But we are not here to ask for your forgiveness, Masters. I just want your permission to marry.”

“You know we cannot give you that,” Kaeden said, with uncharacteristic gentleness.

“And, knowing that, I wonder why you continue to ask,” Satele Shan said, her eyes sharp. Ashara imagined Master Shan was staring right into her soul.

For the first time, Imperius’s confidence faltered. “Because I love her,” he said, softly. “I want to be with her for the rest of our lives.”

“Your lives are your own,” the Mirialan said. “Whether married or not, we cannot take that away from you.” 

Jaric Kaeden frowned. “Yes, we can. Barsen’thor, you cannot possibly intend to let this Sith just walk out of here.”

Imperius seemed to find that amusing. “What are you going to do?” he asked, spreading his arms. “Kill me?”

“The Jedi do not kill, Sith,” Kaeden said. “But we could hold him here, or on Coruscant. If we can’t redeem him, he could make for a valuable prisoner exchange.”

“You can’t possibly intend to take us prisoner!” Ashara exclaimed. “We came here in peace. We haven’t done anything wrong.”

“The crew of the Black Talon might disagree,” Shan said. “Or their surviving family members.”

“I didn’t kill  _ everyone  _ on the Black Talon,” Imperius said. “Just most of them.”

Ashara tried to stealthily kick him.  _ Not helping,  _ she mouthed at him.

“Yes, I’m sure their widows and widowers are very grateful for that,” Shan said, drily. 

“I  _ could  _ be a valuable prisoner,” Imperius conceded, his eyes darting between the three Jedi masters. “Or I could be a very valuable ally. I am a member of the Dark Council, and someday, I intend to strike down the Emperor and take his place. Being captured here will slow my progress to the top considerably. And whatever you may think of me, surely you realize I would be a better Emperor than the madman who holds that position now.”

“Every Sith dreams of becoming Emperor,” Kaeden said, dismissively.

“But he  _ is  _ a member of the Dark Council,” Shan said, looking Imperius up and down speculatively. “His rise to power has been meteoric. It wasn’t so long ago that Tol Braga hoped for an Emperor who would usher the Sith Empire into the light.”

“Yes,” Kaeden said, “And look what happened to him!” 

Imperius edged closer to Ashara. “What  _ did  _ happen to Tol Braga?” he asked, out of the corner of his mouth.

“No idea,” Ashara whispered back. “Last I heard he was a respected member of the Jedi Council.”

“We may have better luck installing a new Emperor than we did changing the one we already have,” the Mirialan said. 

“And even if we don’t,” Shan said, “We could use an ally in the Dark Council.”

“You can’t seriously be considering acquiescing to his request,” Kaeden snapped.

“No,” Shan conceded. “But perhaps, as a token of goodwill, we could let him go in peace.”

“I agree with that,” the Mirialan woman said, nodding.

“Is that all?” Imperius demanded. “We leave with nothing to show for it?”

“You’re lucky you’re leaving in one piece, young man,” Kaeden said, scowling down at the Sith Lord like an unruly child.

“You leave with the Jedi Council’s goodwill,” Shan said. “A gesture of friendship, in the hopes that we may one day barter a peace with you.”

Imperius stopped for a moment. “There’s nothing I want more than that,” he said, quietly. 

Ashara broke the tension by saying, “Let’s get out of here before they change their minds.”

Imperius sighed theatrically. “Oh, but I was so enjoying their hospitality!” He bowed to the Jedi Masters. “Farewell, honored masters. May we meet again on better terms.”

Imperius didn’t bother to cloak himself this time, sweeping out of the Jedi Temple with nothing but his brocart jacket to hide his identity. He carried himself with as much poise as ever, but Ashara could tell that he was upset and disappointed.

Once they’d gotten out into the wilds of Tython, Imperius let his shoulders slump. “Well, that was a waste of time,” he said. He ignited his lightsaber and slashed it viciously through the branches of a nearby tree. 

“Don’t take it out on the plant life,” Ashara reproached him.

Imperius sighed and put his lightsaber away. “I’m sorry, Ashara. I wanted to win your hand. I thought I could talk them into it.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Ashara said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “They were never going to agree.”

Imperius looked down. “I suppose, on some level, I knew that all along,” he said softly. “But I thought I could change it all by the force of my will. I thought the strength of our love would overwhelm all barriers.”

“Since I’ve been with you,” Ashara said, “I’ve learned the value of love. But there are some things it can’t do.”

Imperius sighed and rubbed his face with one hand. “Your wisdom brings me comfort, as always. But I still wish I could have done more.”

They walked along in silence until they reached their ship, and filed up into its belly.

“Well?” called Andronikos. “Do we need to get our butts out of here before they get electrocuted?”

“Don’t bother,” Imperius replied, slamming the ship’s door shut behind him. “They let us go.”

“No joy, then?” Andronikos asked.

“No,” Imperius said, sulking. He flopped down into one of the chairs in the 

“Actually,” Ashara said, hesitating. “That . . . might not be quite accurate.”

Imperius looked up, and raised an eyebrow. “What are you getting at?”

Ashara looked at Andronikos. “Should I get down on one knee?” 

“Girls don’t do that,” Andronikos said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the ship’s wall. “Not unless you really wanna, I guess.”

“All right. On my feet then.” She turned to Imperius. “Darth Imperius . . . heir to Lord Kallig . . . Lord of the Dark Council . . . will you marry me?”

Imperius looked up, delight slowly dawning on his face. “But I thought that wasn’t an option. The Jedi Council said - ”

“Screw the Jedi Council,” Ashara said, decisively. “We don’t need their permission. If they say I’m not a Jedi, then why should I care what they think? Marry me, Lord Imperius. Be my husband in the eyes of the Empire and in our hearts - whatever the Jedi say.”

Imperius stood, his eyes wide. “I can’t think of anything I’d want more,” he said. 

She took him into her arms and kissed him. And for awhile, there was love aboard the Sith ship. 


End file.
